Tag: red-sox

Baseball by the Numbers: 18

Posted on by JW
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18

Welcome back to Baseball by the Numbers. Today we are looking at uniform number 18. 863 players have worn uniform number 18 at some point in their career, but only about 11% (97 players) kept the number 18 for five years or more. There was one Legend (100+ WAR) who wore 18 for seven seasons. Joe Morgan was already featured in the uniform number 8 post, but he’s well deserving of another featured spot. Aside from Morgan, twenty-seven other players who wore 18 also had a career WAR of 40 plus, and as always here are my top picks.

The Legend

Joe Morgan, 1971 Topps, #264

For twenty-two seasons, Joe Morgan played perhaps some of the best baseball ever seen at second base. From 1963 to 1984, Morgan played on five teams. Morgan started his career with the Houston Colt .45s. He wore uniform number 12 for eight games in 1963. The next season he played 10 games and wore number 35. By 1965, the Colt .45s became the Houston Astros and Morgan, now wearing number 18, broke out, placing second in ROY voting. He would keep the number 18 for the rest of his tenure with Houston (1965-1971), before switching to uniform number 8 after his trade to the Reds. After seven seasons with the Reds, he was back with the Astros for one season in 1980, then went to the San Francisco Giants (2 yrs), Philadelphia Phillies (1 yrs) and finished his career with one final season on the Oakland Athletics. He wore uniform number 18 for seven seasons and had a career WAR of 100.6 good for thirty-first all-time.

Morgan was a ten-time All-Star who won the National League MVP award twice (75, 76), both times with the Reds. In 1975, he led the league in season WAR (11), walks (132), OBP (.466), and OPS (.974) while hitting .327 with 67 stolen bases and winning the Gold Glove Award. In 1976, Morgan led the league in WAR (9.6) OBP (.444), SLG (.576), OPS (1.020) and sacrifice flies with 12.

He won five Gold Glove Awards and was a Silver Slugger in 1982. Morgan was known for his speed, stealing over 40 bases in nine different seasons (with 60 or more three times). He was a tough player to strike out too, with 77 strikeouts being the most in any season. He also led the league in walks four separate times.

As a member of the “Big Red Machine”, Morgan was a two-time World Series Champion in 1975 and 1976 (his two MVP seasons) while playing alongside Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez with Sparky Anderson as the manager.

He retired after the 1984 season with a .271 career batting average, 2,517 hits, 449 doubles, 268 home runs, 1,133 RBIs, 689 stolen bases (11th all-time), and 1,865 walks (5th all-time). For second basemen, he is 4th all-time with 5,742 putouts, 3rd in assists with 6,967 and 6th in double plays with 1,505.

Morgan is a member of both the Houston Astros and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of fame with the Reds retiring his uniform number 8 in 1998.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.

Joe Morgan passed away at the age of 77 in 2020.

Number 1:

Bret Saberhagen, 1988 Fleer, #268

As a kid I followed several players, most of them with the Red Sox, but others were based on card collecting, watching baseball highlights on This Week in Baseball and reading The Sporting News. Bret Saberhagen was one player that I loved collecting. He was a right-handed pitcher who played for sixteen years (1984-2001) for four teams. He started out on the Royals (1984-1991) until he was traded in 1991 to the Mets for a couple of players including Gregg Jefferies (a legend from my youth). He stayed with the Mets until 1995. He then played one season (1995) with the Colorado Rockies, before finishing his career with my team, the Boston Red Sox (1997-1999, 2001). He wore uniform number 18 for seven seasons and had a career WAR of 58.9.

Saberhagen was only 19 when he started his Major League career with the Royals. Despite his youth, he had a good first season going 10-11 with a 3.48 ERA and 73 strikeouts. In 1985, only his second season, he would win the first of two Cy Young Awards going 20-6 with a 2.87 ERA, and he led the Kansas City Royals to their first World Series title. He would win the World Series MVP Award in 1985, going 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA, with two complete games in Games 3 and 7. He allowed just one run, 11 hits, and one walk over 18 innings, and pitched a shutout in the deciding Game 7.  Saberhagen won his second Cy Young in 1989 when he led the league in wins (23), ERA (2.16), season WAR (9.7), innings (262.1), complete games (12) and ERA plus (180) while also winning a Gold Glove. He was a three-time All-Star and pitched a no-hitter in August of 1991.

Bret Saberhagen retired in 2001 after pitching only 3 games for the Red Sox that season. He had a career record of 167-117 (.588 W/L%) 3.34 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 1,715 strikeouts in 2,562 innings with 76 complete games and 16 shutouts.

He is a member of the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame.

Number 2:

Johnny Damon, 2013 Panini Hometown Heroes, #25

Johnny Damon played outfield for eighteen seasons from 1995-2012 for seven different teams. Damon was known for his speed and found himself primarily batting in the leadoff spot. He started his career with the Kansas City Royals (1995-2000). He spent 2001 with Oakland Athletics, then joined the Boston Red Sox where his scrappy play and personality fit in well with the “The Idiots” (2002-2005). He defected to the rival New York Yankees (2006-2009), then jumped around a bit to finish his career with the Detroit Tigers (2010), Tampa Bay Rays (2011) and the Cleveland Indians (2012). He wore uniform number 18 for fourteen seasons and had a career WAR of 56.3.

Damon was a two-time All-Star. He had over 25 stolen bases in ten seasons, leading the league in 2000 with 46. He also had over 100 runs in ten seasons. Damon had one of his best seasons in 2004 with the Red Sox, batting .304 with 123 runs, 35 doubles, 20 home runs, 94 RBI and 19 stolen bases. That season he played a role in breaking “the Curse” with the Red Sox winning their first World Series in 86 years. Damon was also a member of the 2009 World Series Champion Yankees.

After 2012, Damon never played another game. He tried unsuccessfully to get signed up until 2015. Damon finished his career with a .284 batting average, .352 OBP, 2769 hits, 1668 runs (32nd all-time), 522 doubles (50th all-time), 47 triples, 235 home runs, 1139 RBIs and 408 stolen bases.

He is a member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.

Number 3:

Tony Phillips, 1984 Topps, #309

Tony Phillips played for eighteen seasons from 1982 through 1999. He was a utility player who bounced around the league, playing for six teams in his career. Phillips started his career with the Oakland Athletics (1982-1989), then signed with the Detroit Tigers (1990-1994) who traded him to the Angels (1995). He would bounce around after that playing for the White Sox (1996-1997), Angels again (1997), Blue Jays and Mets (1998), and ending where it all started, with Oakland again (1999). Phillips wore uniform number 18 for five seasons while with Oakland from 1982 to 1986 and had a career WAR of 50.9.

I remember Phillips most with Oakland and the Tigers. I loved the 1984 Topps and even though it does not show his number, he wore 18 during the 1984 season, so it fit well for the post.

Phillips was a utility player extraordinaire. He never made an All-Star team, but he did lead the league in runs once and walks twice. In 1986, he became the first member of the Oakland Athletics to hit for the cycle. He was a member of the 1989 Oakland Athletics World Series Championship team during the “Earthquake Series” which I remember watching. Oakland was stacked with players and featured the GOAT Rickey Henderson, the Bash Brothers (Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire), pitchers Dave Stewart and Bob Welch and closer Dennis Eckersley.

Phillips played his last game in 1999. He finished his career with 1,319 walks (48th all-time). He had a .266 batting average with 2023 hits, 1300 runs, 360 doubles, 160 home runs, 177 stolen bases and 819 RBIs. He also had a .374 OBP.

Phillips passed away in 2016 at the young age of 56 years old.

Number 4:

Gene Tenace, 1978 Topps, #240

One of the top catchers of his era, Gene Tenace played for fifteen seasons from 1969-1983. Tenace started his career with the Oakland Athletics (1969-1976) moved on to the San Diego Padres (1977-1980), then played two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (1981-1982) and finished his career with the Pirates (1983). Tenace had a career WAR of 46.8 and wore uniform number 18 for eleven seasons.

Tenace was an All-Star in 1975 and has a whopping 6 World Series rings. He was a member of the Oakland Athletics World Series Championship dynasty that won three straight rings (1972-1974) along with Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers. Tenace was the World Series MVP in 1972 when he batted .348 with 4 runs, 4 home runs, 9 RBI, .400 OBP, .913 SLG and an OPS of 1.313. He was also a member of the 1982 Cardinals win with Jim Kaat, Bruce Sutter and Ozzie Smith. In 1992 and 1993, Tenace was a coach for the Blue Jays Championships.

He retired after the 1983 season with a career batting average of .241 with 1,060 hits, 201 home runs, 674 RBIs and a .388 OBP.

Tenace is a member of the Athletics Hall Of Fame.

Number 5:

Ben Zobrist, 2010 Bowman Chrome, #71

Switch-hitting, super utility player Ben Zobrist spent fourteen seasons in the Majors playing for four teams. He started his career with the Tampa Bay Rays (2006-2014). He was traded to the Oakland A’s in 2015 and stayed with them for only 67 games before being traded to the Kansas City Royals. He then moved on to the Chicago Cubs (2016-2019). He has a career WAR of 44.7 and wore uniform number 18 for his entire fourteen seasons.

During his career, Zobrist played second base, shortstop, all three outfield positions and even spent a little time at first and third. He was known as a versatile defender who could also get on base. A three-time All-Star, Zobrist had his best season in 2009 when he led the league in season WAR (8.6) and batted .297 with 27 home runs, 91 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, and a .405 OBP. He had 20 home runs or more in 3 seasons, had over 30 doubles 6 times, and walked over 90 times in four seasons. In 2011, he had 8 RBIs in one game, a Tampa Bay record. Zobrist is a two-time World Series Champion, winning a ring with the Kansas City Royals in 2015 and with the Chicago Cubs in 2016. The Cubs won for the first time in 108 years and Zobrist, who batted .357 with 10 hits, two doubles, a triple, 5 runs, 2 RBI, 4 walks and a .419 OBP, was named the World Series MVP.

Zobrist retired after the 2019 seasons. He had a career batting average of .266 with 1,566 hits, 884 runs, 349 doubles, 44 triples, 167 homeruns, 768 RBIs and a .357 OBP.

Number 6:

Mel Harder, 1934 Goudey, #66

Known as Chief, Mel Harder was a right-handed pitcher who played for 20 years exclusively with the Cleveland Indians from 1928 to 1947. Red Farber, Walter Johnson, Ted Lyons and Mel Harder are the only pitchers to have played for twenty seasons with one team.  He was also a pitching coach (1948-1963) and managed a few games in 1961 and 1962 for Cleveland, spending 36 years total with the franchise. He would spend an additional six years coaching various teams before leaving baseball after 42 years. Harder had a career WAR of 44.3 and wore uniform number 18 for eighteen seasons.

Harder was a four-time All-Star who was considered one of the most difficult pitchers to face in his day. He led the league in ERA in 1933. He was a member of the 1948 Cleveland World Series Championship team that included six Hall of Famers; Lou Boudreau, Bob Feller, Joe Gordon, Bob Lemon, Satchel Paige and Larry Doby.

Harder’s last season was 1947. He finished his career with 223 wins to 186 losses, good for a .545 W/L%. He had a 3.80 ERA, 1.408 WHIP and 1,161 strikeouts in 3,426 innings to go along with 181 complete games and 24 shutouts. He also had 24 saves.

Chief is a member of the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame, and his number 18 was retired by Cleveland in 1990.

Mel Harder passed away in 2002 at the age of 93 years old.

Number 7:

Darryl Strawberry, 1984 Topps, #182

One of the things I love about writing these posts is nostalgia, and nothing brings it out more than writing about players from my youth. Strawberry is one of those players I will always remember. The “Straw Man” was a favorite player to my best friend growing up, and an enemy to Red Sox fans. He played right field for seventeen seasons from 1983-1999. Mostly known for his eight seasons on the New York Mets (1983-1990), who selected him with the first pick in the 1980 draft, Strawberry also played for the Dodgers (1991-1993), San Francisco Giants (1994) and the New York Yankees (1995-1999). Strawberry had a career WAR of 42.1 and wore uniform number 18 for all eight seasons he played with the Mets.

Strawberry made an immediate impact his rookie season with 26 home runs, 74 RBI and 19 stolen bases and winning the 1983 ROY Award. The next season he would become an All-Star for the first time. Strawberry would make 8 consecutive All-Star appearances and win two Silver Slugger awards. He had over 25 home runs in his first nine seasons, leading the league with 39 in 1988. He also had over 100 RBIs twice, over 100 runs twice and stole over 25 bases in five seasons. He joined the 30-30 club in 1987 with 39 home runs and 36 stolen bases. He was a member of 3 World Series Championships; in 1986, when the Mets beat the Red Sox (booo!), then in 1996 and 1999 with the Yankees.

Sadly, Strawberry’s career was shortened due to personal issues, injuries and addiction. From 1992 to 1999 he only played 100 games once. He was missing practices and games and was suspended for cocaine use while also dealing with colon cancer. By 2000, he was once again suspended for drug use and never played again.

Strawberry finished his career with a .259 batting average with 1,401 hits, 898 runs, 256 doubles, 335 home runs, 1000 RBIs and 221 stolen bases.

For years Strawberry struggled with addiction issues and legal problems. He went to rehab and found solace in his Christian faith, becoming an ordained minister. Strawberry has been sober for over 20 years and has dedicated his life to helping others through the sharing of his story.

He was entered into the New York Mets Hall of Fame, and his uniform number 18 was retired by the Mets in 2024.

Final Score:

Uniform number 18 had several players with an over 40 WAR wear it for 1 season. Red Ruffing, Keith Hernandez and Minnie Minoso are all players who I have featured in prior posts, and each wore uniform number 18 for 1 season. Red Faber (White Sox 31, 33), Willie Randolph (Pirates 75),  Andrew Jones (Yankees 2011) and Dazzy Vance (Cardinals 33) all wore number 18 as well.

Thank you for reading and if you’re enjoying this content hit a like, subscribe or shoot me a comment. Next up is uniform number 19!

Sources:

https://www.baseball-almanac.com

https://www.baseball-reference.com

“Oakland Athletics 8, Baltimore Orioles 4”. Retrosheet. May 16, 1986.

Markoe, Lauren “Darryl Strawberry goes from ballfield to pulpit”. The State Journal-Register. (July 27, 2013)

https://www.sabr.org

Shout out to all the cool cards and creative commons for my pictures! Thanks Topps and Fleer and Donruss and Upper Deck and all the rest.

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Baseball by the Numbers: 8

Posted on by JW
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8

Welcome back to Baseball by the Numbers. Today we are looking at uniform number 8, and I am so excited and I just can’t hide it! As I’ve mentioned previously, probably more than a few times, uniform number 8 holds a very special place in my heart. My favorite player of all-time wore this number, and I still have 100s of his cards and other memorabilia. Most of you can probably guess who it is, but if not, you’ll find out below. Number 8 is also special to my family since another player who wore that number is a family legend (not related, just idolized). Is the suspense killing you? I hope so, because it will keep you reading, and this may be my longest post yet.  

Uniform number 8 had 672 players who wore it in their career. There was one Legend (career WAR over 100) and thirty-nine players with a career WAR over 40. Ninety players wore uniform number 8 for five years or more.

There were a few players who wore number 8 for only one season. Three, Luke Appling, Al Simmons and Bobby Bonds, I have covered in past posts. Appling, featured in the 4 post, wore it for one season with the White Sox in 1932. Simmons, featured in the 7 post, wore it with the Red Sox in 1943. Go Sox! Bonds (featured in the 00 post and will be seen again) wore it in 1981 with the Chicago Cubs. Hall of Famer Paul Warner also wore number 8 for one seasons in 1942 with the Boston Braves.

Out of the 672 players who wore the number, only one player had a career WAR that exceeded 100 and will make the coveted Legends spot.

The Legend:

Joe Morgan, 1974 Topps, #85

For twenty-two seasons, Joe Morgan played perhaps some of the best baseball ever seen at second base. From 1963 to 1984, Morgan played on five teams. He started his career with the Houston Colt .45s/Astros for nine seasons before being traded during the 1971 Winter Meetings to the Cincinnati Reds, where he would become a pivotal cog in the “Big Red Machine”. After seven seasons with the Reds, he was back with the Astros for one season in 1980, then went to the San Francisco Giants (2 yrs), Philadelphia Phillies (1 yrs) and finished his career with one final season on the Oakland Athletics. He wore uniform number 8 for thirteen seasons and had a career WAR of 100.6 good for thirty-first all-time.

I used the 1974 Topps for this post because the card is fantastic. Morgan started wearing number 8 with the Reds, and the number is visible on the front of his uniform in this card’s photo.  The photo is a cool action shot of Morgan about to take off after a hit…and look at those epic sideburns! I like the style of these 1974 cards, with the team city and name in the banners around the border. Morgan was an All-Star in 1974. He batted .293, with 150 hits, 31 doubles, 22 home runs, 67 RBIs and 58 stolen bases. He had 120 walks to only 69 strikeouts and a league leading .427 OBP.

Morgan was a ten-time All-Star who won the National League MVP award twice (75, 76), both times with the Reds. In 1975, he led the league in season WAR (11), walks (132), OBP (.466), and OPS (.974) while hitting .327 with 67 stolen bases and winning the Gold Glove Award. In 1976, Morgan led the league in WAR (9.6) OBP (.444), SLG (.576), OPS (1.020) and sacrifice flies with 12.

He won five Gold Glove Awards and was a Silver Slugger in 1982. Morgan was known for his speed stealing over 40 bases in nine different seasons (with 60 or more three times). He was a tough player to strike out with 77 strikeouts being the most in any season. He also led the league in walks 4 separate times.

As a member of the “Big Red Machine”, Morgan was a two-time World Series Champion in 1975 and 1976 (his two MVP seasons) while playing alongside Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez with Sparky Anderson as the manager.  

He retired after the 1984 season with a .271 career batting average, 2517 hits, 449 doubles, 268 home runs, 1133 RBIs, 689 stolen bases (11th all-time), and 1865 walks (5th all-time). For second basemen he is 4th all-time with 5742 putouts, 3rd in assists with 6967 and 6th in double plays with 1505.

Morgan is a member of both the Houston Astros and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of fame with the Reds retiring his uniform number 8 in 1998.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.

Joe Morgan passed away at the age of 77 in 2020.

Number 1:

Cal Ripken Jr., 1996 Topps Chrome, #28

I’ve been looking forward to this post since I came up with the idea for this series. In the number one spot! Cal Ripken Jr.! the “Iron Man”.

Although I’ve lived in Massachusetts most of my life and am a Red Sox fan, Cal was my hero. When I first started collecting cards I really hadn’t caught full-on Red Sox fever. As a kid, I would float from team to team based on the silliest of things (like rooting for the Tigers because I liked the animal). As I started collecting cards and watching This Week in Baseball or Sportscenter and reading Sports Illustrated or Beckett I just fell in love with Cal’s game. I started collecting every Ripken card I could find, had his poster on my wall, and his Starting Lineup on my desk. As my love for the Red Sox grew, I made sure the games I went to were against the Orioles. There were plenty of opportunities to see Cal play. He was the standard in hard work and dedication.

When I got older and stopped collecting, I regretfully sold most of my cards, but I kept one binder and a box. Both were filled with Cal Ripken cards, and I still have them all. Cal will always be my favorite player of all-time.

Cal Ripken Jr. played for twenty-one years in the Majors from 1981 to 2001. He was a shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, where he played his entire career and wore uniform number 8 for all twenty-one seasons. He had a career WAR of 95.9 and is considered by many, me included, to be the best shortstop in history.

Ripken was an All-Star nineteen times. He was Rookie of the Year in 1982. He was the American League MVP twice (1983 and 1991) and won two Gold Glove Awards. He was an eight-time Silver Slugger. Ripken was a member of the Orioles 1983 World Series Championship team along with Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Jim Palmer. During his career he played with his brother Billy for six seasons and was managed by his father, Cal Sr., for three.

I choose this 1996 Topps Chrome Ripken card because it commemorates his greatest achievement, one that is unlikely to ever be duplicated. On September 6th, 1995 Cal Ripken played in his 2131st consecutive game, breaking the streak set by Lou Gehrig 56 years earlier. The game was one of the most watched baseball games in ESPN history. Unfortunately, I could not watch it as I was in military training having joined earlier that year, but I still have a couple of VHS recordings that friends and family taped for me. He would continue to play in every game until September of 1998 when he decided to end his streak at 2632 consecutive games.

The wear and tear of his streak eventually took its toll and Ripken played in less than 100 games in 1999 and 2000 before he retired at the end of the 2001 season.

Aside from his consecutive games streak, he would end his career with a .276 batting average, he is 16th in history with 3184 hits, 17th in doubles with 603, 51st in home runs with 431 (the most of any shortstop in history), 29th in RBIs (1695), and 18th in total bases (5168).

Ripken is a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame, and his uniform number 8 was retired in 2001.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Currently, Ripken is a best-selling author and is deeply involved in charitable organizations.

Number 2:

Carl Yastrzemski, 1975 Tops, #280

“Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemski, the man we call Yaz (We love him)”, Jess Cain, The Yaz song (1967)

I remember my uncle singing this song when I was young. I believe he still has the record, and I would bet he still sings it when he’s making his lunch. Carl Yastrzemski was a hero to me growing up. I never saw him play live but heard so many stories. As I became increasingly interested in baseball, my uncle, who is the biggest Red Sox fan in history, was perplexed by my love for Cal Ripken, a rival of the Boston Red Sox. My uncle would tell me stories of the greatest Red Sox teams and taught me all about the Curse of the Bambino (which was finally broken in 2004). Those stories made sure that as I grew up and finally stopped rooting for teams based on their logos, I would land with the best fans for the best team. The Boston Red Sox! They have been my favorite team for over thirty years and will always be.

“Yaz” primarily played left field with the Boston Red Sox for his entire twenty-three-year career (he also played a couple of stints at first and third). He is tied with Brooks Robinson for longest tenure with one team. From 1961 to 1983, Yastrzemski was the hero of Fenway Park, wearing uniform number 8 his entire career, while finishing with a career WAR of 96.4.

I love this 1975 Topps design. The colors along the border, with the team’s name shadowed up top and the player’s name below, just pops. The position in the little baseball is a nice touch, and I love this photo of Yaz, especially with his uniform number visible. Though 1975 was a down year (.269 batting average, 14 home runs, 60 RBIs), he still made an All-Star appearance.

Yaz was an eighteen-time All-Star. He led the league in season WAR three times, runs and hits twice, doubles and batting average three times, walks twice, OBP five times, SLG three and OPS four times. In 1967 he was the American League MVP and led the league in home runs (44), RBIs (121) and batting average (.326), winning the elusive Triple Crown. 

At the end of 1983 he retired from baseball at the age of 44. He finished his career with a .285 batting average. He is 9th all-time in hits (3419), 9th in doubles (646), 41st in home runs (452), and 15th all-time in RBIs (1844). Yaz is also 6th all-time in walks with 1845 and is 10th in Total Bases with 5539. He has a career OBP of .379, SLG of .462 and OPS of .841.

Yastrzemski was also an amazing defender, leading American League left fielders in assists seven times and winning seven Gold Glove Awards. Sabermetrics determines his placement as second all-time defensive left fielder, specifically Total Zone Runs, or as they abbreviate it on their site, “rtot.” Yastrzemski accumulated an rtot of 135 over his 23-year MLB career (Bonds finished with a 184 rtot). Perry, Jeff bosoxinjection.com

He is a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame, and his uniform number 8 was retired in 1989.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

Carl Yastrzemski is still loved by the Fenway Faithful and at 85 years old, threw out the first pitch at Fenway to start the 2025 season.

Number 3:

Gary Carter, 1985 Topps, #230

The original “Kid”, Gary Carter was known as an excellent defensive catcher who could hit well and motivate his teammates with his excitement for the game. Carter played nineteen seasons in the Majors from 1974 to 1992 as a catcher with the Montreal Expos for 10 seasons, then the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, LA Dodgers and his last season back in Montreal. Carter wore uniform number 8 for eighteen seasons, having worn 57 his rookie year. He had a career WAR of 70.1.

I choose this awesome 1985 Topps for Carter. I love the 1985 Topps set, and this card is great. The colors blend perfectly with the Red, White and Blue Expos uniform, Carter’s uniform number visible on the front., and the team logo on the front. A perfect card for the post. Carter was an All-Star in 1985, having hit the most home runs of his career (32) to go along with a .281 batting average and 100 RBIs. He was a member of the 1986 World Series Champion Mets when they beat the Red Sox. The curse had struck again!

Carter was an All-Star in eleven seasons. He won five Silver Slugger awards and hit 100 or more RBIs in four seasons. He also won 3 Gold Gloves while leading the league’s catchers in putouts seven times, assists five times and double plays four times.

Carter finished his career in 1992 with a career batting average .262 and 2092 hits, 371 doubles, 324 home runs, and 1225 RBIs. For his career as a catcher he caught 127 shutouts, had 11785 putouts and 149 double plays.

He is a member of the Montreal Expos and New York Mets Hall of Fame, and his number 8 was retired by the Expos in 1993.

Carter was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Gary Carter passed away in 2012 at the age of 57 after a courageous battle with brain cancer.

Number 4:

Andre Dawson, 1990 Score, #265

“the Hawk” is another player whose cards have a big place in my binder. He played for twenty-one seasons from 1976 to 1996 as an outfielder. Like Gary Carter above, Andre Dawson started his career with the Montreal Expos where he played for eleven seasons. In 1987, he joined the Cubs where he stayed until 1992. He finished his career with two-year stints on the Boston Red Sox and the Florida Marlins. He wore uniform number 8 for eight seasons and had a career WAR of 64.8.

I had trouble finding cards with Dawson’s number 8 showing. He wore the number while with the Cubs, and my memories of “the Hawk” are mostly during his Cubs tenure so I picked this 1990 Score. I liked collecting the Score cards and have a few of this card. I think it’s a nice action shot of Dawson. In 1990, he was an All-Star with a batting average of .310, 27 home runs, 100 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and led the league with 21 intentional walks.

Dawson was an eight-time All-Star. He was the National League ROY in 1977 and the MVP in 1987. He was also a great defender having won eight Gold Glove Awards. He was a four-time Silver Slugger who batted over .300 on five occasions. He was also fast on the bases and stole 25 or more in six seasons. By 1994 injuries began to reduce his playing time and he played less than 80 games in each of his last few seasons before retiring in 1996.

Dawson finished his career with a .279 career batting average. He had 2774 hits with 503 doubles. His 438 home runs are 47th all-time and his 1591 RBIs are 40th. He had 314 stolen bases and is 31st in Total Bases with 4787.

Dawson is a member of the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs Hall of Fames.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Number 5:

Yogi Berra, 1960 Topps, #480

“Ninety percent of the game is half mental.” ~ Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra was a catcher for nineteen seasons in the Major Leagues. He was well known for his sense of humor and his “yogisms”. Berra played from 1946 to 1965 for the New York Yankees, with his last season for the crosstown New York Mets. He wore uniform number 8 for sixteen seasons and had a career WAR of 59.5.

I used this 1960 Topps card because I like the design and the photo of Berra in his catcher’s gear is great. In 1960 Berra was an All-Star…twice!

For his career, Berra was an All-Star eighteen times (twice from 59-61). He was the American League MVP three times (51, 54, 55). He batted .290 or better seven times, hit 25 or more home runs six times and had over 100 RBIs five times. On the defensive end, he led catchers in putouts eight times, assists three times, and double plays six times. He played with many Yankee greats throughout his career, including Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Johnny Mize, Whitey Ford, and Mickey Mantle.  Berra was a World Series Champion 10 times, the most of any player, and holds many series records.

He has a career .285 batting average with 2150 hits, 358 home runs, 1175 runs, 1430 RBIs and a career .989 fielding percentage at catcher. He holds the World Series records for the most games (75), hits (71), doubles (10), singles (49), games caught (63), and catcher putouts (457). Marcius, Chelsia Rose; McShane, Larry; Madden, Bill (September 2015)

His uniform number 8 was retired by the New York Yankees in 1972 along with his idol Bill Dickey (who will also be on this list). Aside from Jackie Robinson’s 42, I think this is the only instance where a number has been retired twice by one team. If anyone knows otherwise, drop a comment. 

Berra was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

Yogi passed away at age 90 in 2015.

Number 6:

Willie Stargell, 1968 Topps, #86

For twenty-one seasons, Wilver “Willie” Stargell, could be seen warming up with a sledgehammer during the Pirates batting practice. From 1962 to 1982, Stargell played left field and first base exclusively for Pittsburgh. He wore uniform number 8 his entire career and had a career 57.6 WAR.

I love this 1968 Topps card! It’s got a great photo of Stargell with his uniform number right on the front of the card. The only thing missing is the sledgehammer. 1968 wasn’t his best year, he batted only .237 with 24 home runs and 67 RBIs.

Stargell was a seven-time All-Star. He shared the 1979 National League MVP award with Keith Hernandez. Stargell batted .281 with 32 home runs and 82 RBIs that season. During his career, he led the league in home runs and OPS twice and in doubles, RBIs, WAR, and SLG once. Stargell had eight seasons with a .290 or better batting average. He was a member of two Pirates World Series Championships, 1971 with teammates Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski and 1979 with teammates Bert Blyleven and Dave Parker. He was the MVP of the 1979 World Series after batting .400 with a .375 OBP, 12 hits, 4 doubles, 3 home runs and 7 RBIs.

Stargell earned the nickname “Pops” later in his career and was a mentor to young players in the Pirates organization until his last game in 1982. He ended his career with a .282 batting average accumulating 2232 hits, 423 doubles, 475 home runs (tied with Stan Musial for 32nd all-time), and 1540 RBIs (49th all-time).

Stargell is a member if the Pirates Hall of Fame and his uniform number 8 was retired by the Pirates in 1982.

He entered Cooperstown in 1988.

Wilver “Willie” Stargell passed away at 61 in 2001.

Number 7:

Bill Dickey, 1934 Diamond Stars, #11

Bill Dickey played catcher exclusively with the New York Yankees for seventeen seasons from 1928 to 1946 (missing the 44 and 45 seasons for military service). He would go on to become a coach and a mentor to the Yankees young catcher, Yogi Berra, who also made it on this list. Dickey wore uniform number 8 every season aside from his first, and had a career WAR of 56.4.

I’m always happy to include a Diamond Stars card! This 1934 Bill Dickey is a beautiful card. The portrait is one of the best I’ve seen, and the background colors are awesome. In 1934 Dickey batted .322 with 12 home runs and 72 RBIs making the All-Star team.

Dickey was an All-Star in eleven seasons. He batted over .300 eleven times and hit over 20 home runs and 100 RBIs in 4 straight seasons from 1936 to 1939, amazing accomplishments for a catcher, especially during the ‘30s. In 1936 he batted .362 which is tied with Mike Piazza for 2nd highest season average by a catcher in history. 

He won seven World Series Championships with the New York Yankees, in 1932 on a team that featured nine Yankees Hall of Famers, including Babe Ruth, and in 1936-1939, 1941 and 1943, all great Bronx Bombers teams.

He finished his career in 1946 as a player/manager. He had a career batting average of .313 with 1,969 hits, 202 home runs, 930 runs and 1,209 RBIs.

His uniform number 8 was retired by the New York Yankees along with the Yogi Berra in 1972. Aside from Jackie Robinson’s 42, I think this is the only instance where a number has been retired twice by one team. If anyone knows otherwise, drop a comment. 

Bill Dickey passed away in 1993 at the age of 86.

Final Score:

Thanks for sticking with me with this long post. I knew uniform number 8 would take a bit, but it was important to me to tell stories about two of my favorite players to wear the number. I only have a couple of shoutouts this time.

Reggie Smith (career WAR 64.8) wore number 8 for six seasons with the Dodgers and was previously featured in the uniform number 7 post.

A few players didn’t make the list but wore the number for a long time. Bob Boone (18 seasons), Gary Gaetti (15 seasons), Ryan Braun (14 seasons) and Javy Lopez (12 seasons). There were quite a few more, so someday I’ll do more posts with all these shoutouts!

Thanks again for reading and if you’re enjoying these posts, leave a like or a comment or subscribe to the newsletter. I’d love to hear from you!

 Sources:

https://www.baseball-almanac.com/

Berra, Yogi (1998) The Yogi Book. New York: Workman Publishing. p. 9. 

Berardino, Mike (2013). “Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer takes Mike Piazza’s comments in stride”. Twincities.com

https://www.baseball-reference.com/

Marcius, Chelsia Rose; McShane, Larry; Madden, Bill. “Yogi Berra dead at 90: Yankees legend, Baseball Hall of Famer was lovable character, American hero”. Daily News. (September 23, 2015 UPDATED: April 9, 2018)

Perry, Jeff (2024) “History: Carl Yastrzemski’s defense somehow rivaled his stellar offense”. bosoxinjection.com

https://www.sabr.org

Shout out to all the cool cards and creative commons for my pictures! Thanks Topps and Upper Deck and Fleer and Donruss and all the rest!

7

Age is Just a Number

Posted on by JW

Posted April 17th, 2025 by jake

Minnie Miñoso 1953 Bowman

I was playing pickleball the other day, and this older man came over to be my partner. He explained that he was probably going to need a bit of help as he was not too quick on his feet. He was 85, and while he struggled a little to get to some balls, his reaction time at the kitchen was insane, he had a great serve and could dink with the best of them. We didn’t win, but man he was funny, and we had a blast. His friend who brought him was very grateful that I played with him, and I said “anytime”. I’m no pro, I’m out there to have fun, and he made it fun. He was full of energy and humor. I realized, this is someone I would like to emulate as I get older. I hope I’m able to get out, meet new people and play a sport when I’m that age. This got me to research some of the oldest to players in the Major Leagues and it was quite the list of interesting feats.

From Satchel Paige striking out a batter at nearly 60 for the Kansas City As in 1965 to Julio Franco smacking a home run for the New York Mets at almost 49 years old in 2006, there are many age defying stories to be told. In life age is just a number, and one player who proved this in seven different decades was Minnie Miñoso.

Minnie Miñoso was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022. Minoso passed away in 2015 at the age of 90-92 years old depending on the birthday you use. I want to add a disclaimer here. I’ve noticed some discrepancies with Miñoso’s age and date-of-birth in a few different articles. It would seem there was some confusion as to his actual age and birth year. I’ve been going on November 29th, 1923, a date that you find almost everywhere. So, if sometimes his age seems off, you may be right.

At the induction, his family were on hand to receive the honors and his wife, Sharon Rice- Miñoso, spoke on his behalf. He was elected through the Golden Days Era Committee along with Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva and Gil Hodges. It was a beautiful summer day. I remember it well. I was there, along with my uncle and cousins. As lifelong Red Sox fans, we made the trip to Cooperstown for David Ortiz, and it was an all-around awesome experience.

One of the facts that struck me about Miñoso was that he played in seven different decades, though some of the at-bats were for promotional purposes, I still thought it was pretty cool. He made plate appearances in the 1940’s in his home country of Cuba and eventually for the New York Cubans of the Negro National League, winning a World Series with them in 1947 and becoming a two-time Negro League’s All Star.

The next year, 1948, he signed on with the Cleveland Indians. He would only play in 9 games before being sent to the minors in San Diego for additional conditioning. He played well in San Diego, hitting for a .297 average with 22 homers, 19 doubles and 13 stolen bases in 137 games in 1949, then in 167 games in 1950, he had 203 hits and batted .339 with 130 runs, 40 doubles, 10 triples, 20 home runs and 115 RBIs, plus he also stole 30 bases. Miñoso showed all the skills of a future All Star and in 1951 he was promoted to the Majors.

 Unfortunately, he would only play in 8 games for Cleveland. This had nothing to do with his skill or potential, but was due to a lack of open spots in which to play him. I said unfortunately, but not for Miñoso…for Cleveland. They would trade him to the Chicago White Sox where he would play for the next 6 seasons, becoming an instant All Star.   

Miñoso was the first black player for the White Sox and the fans loved him, even giving the rookie his own day and the nickname “Mr. White Sox”. He would play 138 games for Chicago in 1951, batting an outstanding .324 with 32 doubles, 14 triples (most in the MLB), 10 home runs and 31 stolen bases. He was known to crowd the plate, and he was plunked a league-leading 16 times, frustrating opposing pitchers. He would make the first of his 7 All Star team appearances (as one of the first Latin Americans to be named All Star) and he would finish 2nd in AL Rookie of the Year voting and 4th for MVP.

Miñoso was just getting started. After his spectacular rookie season “Mr. White Sox” would continue to wow the Comiskey Park fans. He was an All Star again in 1952, 1953 and 1954. Having had arguably his best season with the White Sox in 1954 batting .320 with 182 hits, 29 doubles, a league leading 18 triples and 19 home runs with 116 RBI’s, he also stole 18 bases.

Miñoso was a character both off and on the field. Driving around Chicago in his green Cadillac, flashy cloths and jewelry, and big hats, he continued to live up to his nickname, “Mr. White Sox”.

In 1957, Miñoso had another All-Star season. He ended up with 21 home runs (the most he had hit up until that point) and led the league in doubles with 36 while also hitting .310. But the White Sox were desperate to win, having continuously been bested by the Yankees, and were offered a trade that they just couldn’t pass up. In the off season, Cleveland offered up Al Smith, who was a quality player with youth on his side, and pitcher Early Wynn, who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career, for Miñoso, and “Mr. White Sox” left the windy city.

Miñoso was back with Cleveland in 1958, and had a solid season with 168 hits, 94 runs, and 14 stolen bases (though he was also caught stealing 14 times). He also hit the most home runs of his career with 24, to go along with 80 RBIs, 25 doubles and a .302 batting average. I mentioned earlier researching those who defied the age barrier, well by 1958 Miñoso was 34 years old, and he had the most home runs of his career!

In 1959, he was once again an All Star, hammering 21 home runs and finishing the season with a .302 batting average. Cleveland finished five games back behind Miñoso’s former White Sox, who made a trade in the off season to bring Miñoso back to Chicago.

In 1960, he entered his 3rd decade playing ball. He was now 36 years old and started the decade off with a bang. Once again with the White Sox, he played in 154 games and made the All-Star team again. He led the league in hits with 184, and had 34 doubles, 20 home runs and 105 RBIs to go along with a .311 batting average. “Mr. White Sox” was back, and the fans were ecstatic!

In 1961, the White Sox struggled to a fourth-place finish. Miñoso had another productive season. He played in 152 games and had a .280 batting average with 151 hits, 28 doubles and 14 home runs. Unfortunately, it would be his last productive season in the Majors.  He was traded to the Cardinals but only played 39 games in 1962 due to injuries. He was then sent off to the Washington Senators in 1963 and played 109 games as the fourth outfielder. In 1964, he found his way back to the White Sox but only played 30 games.

Though he was slowing down, at 40 he decided to play in Mexico, and had a resurgence. He batted .360 and led the league with 106 runs and 35 doubles for Charros de Jalisco in 1965. He would continue to play baseball for 8 more years in Mexico, bringing him into his fourth decade. He would finally leave the game in 1973 at 49 years old…or so it seemed.

He would become a coach for the White Sox in 1976 and appeared as a DH in 3 games with Chicago. In 8 at bats, he would only get one hit, but was still a favorite of the White Sox fans. He continued to coach through 1978.

In 1980, he would amazingly get two more at bats with the White Sox. He was around 56 by this point, depending on which date of birth you use, and became one of only two players to have played a game in five decades! The other being Nick Altrock, who remains the oldest player ever to hit a triple at age 48 in 1924. Altrock played his last game in 1933 at 57 years old, but Miñoso would top that.

Miñoso didn’t suit up again for 13 years. In 1993, at 69 (I know this is getting ridiculous now!), he signed with the Saint Paul Saints. This would seem to be more of a promotional stunt, but according to Michael Clair of MLB.com, “Mike Veeck, the owner of Saint Paul, made it clear that this wasn’t just a promotion to get fans into the gates and that a baseball player, especially one like Miñoso, would not do anything to embarrass himself. “I don’t think of it as a promotion, I think that’s an appearance of talent,” Veeck told MLB.com. “That’s how I view it — it’s an opportunity for these younger fans, and for fans who enjoy them to see this remarkable human who all these years later could still swing the bat, who still hustled out to first base.” (Clair, Micheal, MLB.com, 2021)

Miñoso got one live at bat, and made contact, grounding out. This would be his sixth decade, and the bat and ball are now enshrined at Cooperstown. Six decades, and he made contact with the ball, at 70! I wish.

His seventh decade was also with the Saints. This time in 2003 at the young age of 79. He signed a one-day contract and walked in his only at-bat. This made him the only player to have played in seven decades.

Miñoso had a career WAR of 53.2 with 2113 hits, 195 home runs, 365 doubles, 95 triples, 1089 RBIs, 216 stolen bases and a career .299 batting average. He was a 9x All Star and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, 7 years after his death in 2015 at 90 something depending on the date of birth. I’m going with 91. His number 9 was retired by the White Sox in 1983.

“Once you get (baseball) in your blood, you can never quit,” “I love the game.” Minnie Miñoso, via the Daily Sentinel, 1976

by John Rice is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Sources:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/minosmi01.shtml retrived April 2025

Clair, Michael. “Miñoso’s amazing seven-decade career.” MLB.com, February 2021

Livacari, Gary. “Minnie Minoso’s “Grand” Return to the White Sox, 1960!,” baseballhistorycomesalive.com, February 2022

Muder, Craig. “Miñoso defies time as White Sox’s DH,” baseballhall.org, retrieved April 2025

Stewart, Mark. “Minnie Miñoso,” SABR bio, December 2021

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnie_Mi%C3%B1oso retrieved April 2025

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